Where could I hire a personal chef?

honestly the easiest move is finding a private chef on facebook groups or the expat forums, tons of people do meal prep for hire in bkk. search "private chef bangkok" on facebook marketplace or the "bangkok expat" group, you'll see people charging like 500 to 1,500 baht per meal depending on ingredients and how fancy you want it.

another option is using an app like foodpanda but for bulk, some caterers do weekly meal boxes delivered to your door, no waiting around. check out "clean eat thailand" or "fit meal thailand" on instagram, they're mostly for fitness folks but they do custom menus too.

if you want someone who actually cooks in your kitchen, try asking your condo's security or the staff at your local mom and pop shop, they often know a retired cook or a housewife who does this on the side. cash is king for that, and you'll get real home style thai food, not restaurant stuff.

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A good middle ground is checking with the cooking schools around town, places like Baipai or Blue Elephant. Their instructors often take private clients on the side, and they tend to be more flexible with Western tastes than the typical auntie setup. Expect to pay 1,500 to 3,000 baht per session depending on how many dishes and whether they shop first.

Another route that works well is hiring through a Thai language service like Kaidee or the Pantip classifieds, just search "แม่ครัว" with your district name. You'll get people who cook for Thai families daily, usually 400 to 800 baht for a full spread, and they're used to working around condo kitchen limits. The trick is having a translator for the first call to sort out timing and dietary stuff, after that it runs itself.

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You might want to check out the private chef setups on Airbnb Experiences, some of them do in-home cooking sessions and they're usually open to booking repeat gigs. Other than that, I'd try asking at a high end supermarket like Villa Market, the staff there often know local cooks who do private work for regular customers.

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Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but I've always found their som tam a bit tame on the pla ra. If you want the real funky version, try the shophouse spots along Soi Udomsuk 26, near the night market end. They pound it fresh with fermented fish that'll clear your sinuses, and it's like 60 baht. Different style from the On Nut places, more Lao-leaning.

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for som tam specifically i'd say the Isaan spots in Chatuchak are underrated, weekdays only though since the weekend crowd ruins the vibe. there's a stall near gate 2 that does tam pa with fermented bamboo shoots, super sour and funky, not something you see much in On Nut. if you're already heading north for Or Tor Kor anyway its worth the detour.

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honestly the som tam at Krua Dok Mai Kao is good but what got me hooked is their nam prik pla raa dip with the raw veggies, that funk hits way harder than the papaya does. think most people sleep on it cuz they just order the som tam and gai yang. also pro tip, go before noon on weekdays, after that teh pla ra gets milder cuz they batch it for the lunch rush

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